PSYC 311 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15.5: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Phenylalanine

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 311
• Professor: Michalakis Petrides

Document Summary

Brain development can be adversely affected by the presence of toxic chemicals during pregnancy and by genetic abnormalities, both hereditary and non-hereditary. A common cause of mental retardation is the presence of toxins that impair fetal development during pregnancy. Rubella released toxic chemicals that interfere with the chemical signals that control the normal development of the brain. It also alters the development of neuronal stem cells and progenitor cells. Several inherited errors of metabolism can cause brain damage or impair brain development. Normal functioning of cells requires complex interactions among countless biochemical systems which depend on enzyme, responsible for constructing or breaking down chemicals: because enzymes are proteins, they are produced by mechanisms involving chromosomes. Errors of metabolism refer to genetic abnormalities in which the recipe for a particular enzyme is in error such that in cannot be synthesized. If this enzyme is a critical one, the results can be very serious.